Capitalizing on CBD: The CBD business comes with much less regulatory and tax baggage than THC-laden marijuana – particularly if it’s derived from hemp, like the CBD produced by Pulak and Priyanka Sharma, co-CEOs of Kazmira. (Photo by Matthew Staver)

According to cannabis research firm Brightfield Group, the hemp-derived CBD market in the United States will total nearly $600 million this year, $11 billion by 2020 and $21 billion by 2022. (Photo by Matthew Staver)

DEA takes some CBD medicines off Schedule 1

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June approved a naturally derived CBD drug, Epidiolex.

The landmark decision triggered a new classification for the cannabinoid from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DEA announced that drugs including “finished dosage formulations” of CBD with THC below 0.1% will be considered Schedule 5 drugs, provided the medications have been approved by the FDA.

“It’s kind of a movement,” Priyanka Sharma, left, said of the CBD market. “It’s like everybody wants to use CBD – from elderly people who have arthritis to young people who want to vape and want a recreational way to relax. It’s transcending all age groups.” (Photo by Matthew Staver)

The Robots Are Coming: Hurdles in funding and technology haven’t stopped a Massachusetts robotics company from testing an automated cannabis trimming solution. (Photo by Bloom Automation)

Bloom Automation’s founder and CEO, John Gowa, discovered an “unbelievable amount of turnover” in processing facilities. Gowa said that trimming cannabis manually can be stressful on workers’ joints. (Photo by Bloom Automation)

There’s a need for a machine that doesn’t use brute force or mangle the product it’s trimming, Gowa said. Bloom Automation had raised nearly $1 million in seed and pre-seed funding as of June, and the company is planning a Series A funding round later this year. (Photo by Bloom Automation)

“At the core, we believe … robots can help bring a higher quality of cannabis to patients and consumers,” Gowa said. “And that robots and automation will allow cultivators to produce this consistently and with greater availability.” (Photo by Bloom Automation)

Closing the Loop: Oregon MJ grower concocts his own nutrient mixes and pest sprays that are recycled back into the soil. (Photo by Sacred Flower Farms)

On a closed-loop farm, everything on the premises goes back into the land. Excrement from alpacas can be used in compost. (Photo by Sacred Flower Farms)

Plants other than cannabis are grown on the farm to be used for nutrient mixes, compost and pest control. (Photo by Sacred Flower Farms)